As soon as I got on the plane I started writing down ideas for the shots to be taken during the next four weeks. I was already exhausted from the work to the last minute here, in the US; tired from thinking, shooting, acting, editing and packing for the trip. I was worried about everything that needed to be shot. And only when the sun began to rise above the wing of the airplane, my worries escaped me and I felt that I would soon be home. I knew that the unexpected is coming, something that would change the course of the motion picture. The short times that I have spent in Poland are almost always full of experiences. They provide me with inspiration and hope. I was expecting that this trip would also be an eye opener, for I knew there were parts of the movie concept that I was not fully comfortable with. The movie "Ula" is growing out of misunderstandings and conflicts and now has to become something new, to which we can all relate. At the very least "we" means the actors and the crew working on the motion picture.

As a young director I have my worries, of course, but in the end things seem to come together, because I love my work and I act accordingly by putting a lot of effort towards the final result. Of course I would not have accomplished anything if it weren't for the people who have offered me their help. In that respect I am very fortunate.

On a certain evening after my arrival to Poland I came up with a new idea for the end of the film. I also came to the realization that I don't need the motive of Auschwitz in the film, which was very difficult to fit in with the rest of the story anyway. In fact I am surprised that I had initially corroborated with Mirzazadeh's desire to include that motive in the film. When I dropped it I felt a tremendous relief and the second half of "Ula" became clear as a sunny day. I would approach it with my old sense of humor, alien to my ex-partner, but common to me, to Ula, and to the rest of the pack, thus making the massage of friendship and compassion much stronger.

At the present moment (January 31, 2001), after having done some editing, I feel that "Ula" is growing in its simplicity. I am pleased to see how much is conveyed through cinematic means, by carefully planed shots and timing, and not so much by dialogues, (although I think those few in "Ula" are successful too.) "Ula" becomes not only about what is said or shown, but also by what is only suggested, as if by negative space in drawings or by silence in music.

I am also glad that we had taken the camera to the streets, carrying it despite cold weather along with a heavy tripod, and even though we all gotten sick at some point. But the result came very close to what I had imagined. While big film crews can not easily shoot on the streets while the actors perform, we are small and mobile, and we took advantage of that fact.

On one occasion I personally shot most of the scene in the Wroclaw train station. I was very attracted to the ambiance, the people walking by on the way somewhere, in a hurry to catch a train, the constant announcements, the unfortunate homeless people who sleep there, the noise, the movement. My old high-school friend Michal acted in the scene we shot in the train station. I had casually asked him if he would like to act and was very surprised that not only did he not need any coaching, but his performance came out perfectly well. My only dissatisfaction was the incredible time constraint, only forty minutes to shoot at the station (we were worried about the equipment and Michal had very little time) and no time for retakes, since I was departing three days later. I am sure that the train station sequence would be a little better (although it is perhaps not terrible) if we had had more time. We would also have avoided running into problems with the sound.

On the last day we were shooting from morning until nearly dusk, and this day saved the trip. I am rather pleased with the shots, which were taken by Keith and myself and especially one lucky shot I had taken, which seems like a perfect (and simple) ending for the movie.

I think the stress affected my acting on that day, even though I did a lot to remain cheerful during the time of shooting and to lift everybody's spirit. On a different occasion my acting was better.

The work was so hard, however, (due to lack of time) that I still don't know how we had managed to shoot almost all that was necessary. I must say that Keith was supporting me as always by putting a lot of effort into our work. Our friend, Agata, also joined us. Agata never complains, treats everybody kindly, does a lot of hard work and can learn new things very quickly. She is responsible for almost all of the photos from the production of the movie to date. I miss her as a friend and somebody to work with, as much as she misses our hard yet rewarding work together. On my way back to the US I was flying above a city with strange, geometrical architectural patterns. Intrigued, I discovered that it was Berlin, which I recognized because of the landmark television tower, formerly in the eastern part of the city. Agata and I both love the film "Faraway, So Close," which was shot in Berlin. I remembered one of the first shots, in which an airplane is flying over the angel's head. Now I was on a plane. I thought about unconditional love for people that Wenders' film is portraying.

Bartosz R. Milewski